​McDonald's earnings feast on all-day breakfast

NEW YORK - McDonald's (MCD) says the introduction of its all-day breakfast and unseasonably warm weather in the final three months of the year helped lift sales by 5.7 percent in the U.S.. That marks the second straight quarter of domestic growth as it fights to win back customers.

McDonald's is working to turn around its business under CEO Steve Easterbrook, who took over last March.

One of the biggest changes since Easterbrook took over was to make breakfast food like the Egg McMuffin available around the clock in the U.S. -- an option many customers had long desired. McDonald's executives have conceded that they failed to keep up with changing tastes and are working to update menus and marketing.

The sales jump in the U.S. marks the best showing since the first quarter of 2012, when the comparable-stores sales (sales at units open a year or more) rose 8.9 percent.

Sales for the "International Lead" unit, which includes the U.K. and Canada, rose 4.2 percent during the period. The high-growth markets unit, which includes Russia and China, saw sales climb 3 percent.

For the three months ended Dec. 31, McDonald's earned $1.21 billion, or $1.31 per share. That beat Wall Street expectations for $1.23 per share, according to FactSet.

Total revenue was $6.34 billion, also topping the $6.24 billion analysts expected.

Shares of McDonald's rose in premarket trading on Monday morning almost 3 percent at $121.91.